Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

XANDYE

XANDYE-THE QUINTESSENTIAL

THE QUINTESSENTIAL, MODERN COVER TABLE, CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS AND LIFESTYLE BRAND THAT PRIDES ITSELF IN EXCELLENT QUALITY THAT IS ON PAR WITH ENTRY-LEVEL LUXURY PIECES

According to its founder and current Creative Director, Sandra Tebogo Kenanao, “Xandye is another name for ‘luxury’. We don’t compromise when it comes to quality. We design our products from scratch, taking time on detail and simple – yet elegant – aesthetics. We select the material and hardware to be...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

RAVAS MOBILE WEIGHING

revolutionizing efficiency and accuracy in material handling

Established in the 1970s, RAVAS Mobile Weighing (RAVAS) is a pioneering organization at the forefront of revolutionizing efficiency and accuracy in mobile weighing in material handling. RAVAS started as a small-scale operation in the Netherlands. The company’s founder recognized the need for mobile weighing solutions that could enhance productivity and...

INNOVATE® Nashville

THE TABLE

THE TABLE-TAKES ACTION TO BRING EQUITY AND INCLUSION TO NASHVILLE

TAKES ACTION TO BRING EQUITY AND INCLUSION TO NASHVILLE

A new membership organization started in Nashville is growing rapidly. The Table is resonating with the business community because the goal is bold – to make Nashville the model city for equity and inclusiveness by taking action to create opportunities to grow prosperity for people of color. Started in October...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

PRAIRIESCAN

PRAIRIES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA

BUILDING ON SUCCESSIn 2021, the Government of Canada embarked on a new approach to economic development in the West. To better recognize the unique economic drivers of the Prairies and British Columbia, the department known as Western Economic Diversification (WD) evolved into two departments. On August 6, 2021, Prairies Economic...

INNOVATION Quebec

RQIS

THE BEATING HEART OF QUEBEC’S SOCIAL INNOVATION SYSTEM

The Réseau québécois en innovation sociale (RQIS) is a space for sharing and mobilizing knowledge and experience, helping to make social innovation an essential lever for sustainable development in Quebec. Created in 2005 as part of the Université du Québec network, RQIS first focused on gaining a better understanding of...

INNOVATE® Seattle

READ

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF WORKWITH CONNECTED INTELLIGENCE

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF WORKWITH CONNECTED INTELLIGENCE. Founded in 2021 by David Shim, Robert Williams, and Elliott Waldron, Read AI brings together your meetings, emails, and messages and transforms them into collaborative partners, so that they talk to each other, share information, offer updates, find answers, and organize tasks through...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

SFU’s CHARLES CHANG INSTITUTE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP

INNOVATING ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION

World-Class Spirit & InnovationAs the World’s #1 university for Entrepreneurial Spirit and #1 in Canada for Innovation*, Simon Fraser University is recognized as one of Canada’s most supportive post-secondary ecosystems for innovative research and education across disciplines. The heart of its entrepreneurship education pillar beats in the Charles Chang Institute...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

OPERTO

A WORLD-LEADING PROPERTY AUTOMATION PLATFORM FOR THE SHORT-TERM, MULTIFAMILY AND HOTEL INDUSTRIES

By bringing together innovative software and best-in-class hardware solutions, Operto enables property owners/managers to efficiently run, scale and monetize their business, while eliminating common friction points associated with the guest journey. Operto has built a huge global footprint in the accommodation industry, with customers ranging from single Airbnb operators, up...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

ECOPIA

ECOPIA-CREATING A DIGITAL TWIN OF THE EARTH LEVERAGING AI-BASED MAPPING SYSTEMS TO ENHANCE DECISION-MAKING

CREATING A DIGITAL TWIN OF THE EARTH LEVERAGING AI-BASED MAPPING SYSTEMS TO ENHANCE DECISION-MAKING

Since 2013, Ecopia AI has been on a mission to create a digital twin of the world using artificial intelligence (AI). Originally spun out of a Ph.D project at the University of Waterloo, Ecopia’s maps have grown from detailing a single small city to mapping entire continents while evolving from...

INNOVATE® Detroit

InvestNext

Fostering Growth and Potential

InvestNext is on a mission to transform how investment firms raise and manage real estate investment capital. Founded in 2016 by Michael Gisi, Kevin Heras, and Matthew Attou, this Detroit startup was conceived to revolutionize how the industry operates. What they’ve created democratizes real estate investing and empowers investors to...

INNOVATE® Nashville

VANDERBILT CAREER ADVANCEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT

THIS IS A COMMUNITY OF LEARNING DEDICATED TO THE FULFILLMENT OF HUMAN POTENTIAL

If you woke up with the opportunity to help empower the next generation of change makers, how would you maximize that opportunity? That’s the question we have the privilege of answering every day for our students. In the 150 years since Vanderbilt University’s founding, we’ve grown from a regional university into...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

SITTERCITY

SITTERCITY

As the first and largest digital platform for finding in-home care, Sittercity, a Bright Horizons company, has come a long way since 2001. , We were the first to make online child care an employee benefit and we continue to connect millions of parents with babysitters and nannies every year....

INNOVATION Quebec

PÔLE SUR LA VILLE RÉSILIENTE

(RESILIENT CITY RESEARCH HUB) OF THE UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À MONTRÉAL (UQAM)

Cities are being asked to undergo profound transformations in the coming decades, to adapt to major environmental changes resulting from a development model based on continuous growth and to attenuate the negative externalities of urbanization. It should be possible for cities to participate in the regeneration of ecosystems and the...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

EMERGE BUILDING SOLUTIONS

A FULLY INTEGRATED CONSTRUCTION COMPANY THAT FOCUSES ON THE RESIDENTIAL MULTI-UNIT MARKET

With over 27 years of experience delivering high-quality construction projects. Emerge starts construction by building components of the project in a manufacturing plant for the above-ground portion of a multi-story building at the time of groundbreaking. While the underground foundation and parking structure is being constructed, concrete and steel precast...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Holmes Custom

Creating Personalised Products

Now celebrating its 65th year in business, Jacksonville-based Holmes Custom designs, manufactures, and retails personalized products across 8 web brands. How does a business that was started in the 1950s stand the test of time? There’s only one way: Innovation. What began as a rubber stamp manufacturer in a garage...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

DATA HOLDINGS

KEEPING BUSINESSES’ DATA SECURE AND AVAILABLE

Data Holdings is a premier Tier III+ commercial data center, centrally located in Milwaukee with a LEED gold design. Offering a full suite of solutions and services designed to meet any needs, Data Holdings is a highly secure facility with 24/7 staffing and monitoring. Commissioned in 2013 by Potawatomi Ventures,...

INNOVATION Quebec

QCAM

THE QUEBEC CENTRE FOR ADVANCED MATERIALS (QCAM) IS A FRQNT1 -FUNDED STRATEGIC CLUSTER.

Bringing together more than 100 university or college research groups and several scientific platforms, QCAM aims to provide solutions to major societal challenges through advanced materials2 . To do so, its members study nano, self-assembled and polymer materials and collaborate with industrial partners to address energy, health and sustainable development...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Nxt Level

Is A Recruiting Agency For Some Of The Biggest Names In Gaming And Technology

Nxt Level understands that companies struggle with finding and hiring the right team members to create growth. Our recruiting company views things differently. Our goal is to replace the mountain of resumes with a short list of the right people aligned with your job requirements, culture, and values. The entrepreneurial...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

The UNF Step Lab - A Major Contributor To The STEM Education Ecosystem

The UNF Step Lab - A Major Contributor To The STEM Education Ecosystem

The UNF Step Lab, housed in the UNF College of Education and Human Services, positions UNF to continue to be a major contributor to the STEM Education ecosystem in the Northeast Florida community. It is a place where regional preK-12 students, teachers, university faculty and students, and community/business partners can...

INNOVATE® South Florida

BDB - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BOARD OF PALM BEACH COUNTY

PALM BEACH COUNTY’S ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION: A NEW ERA OF GROWTH AND INNOVATION

Since 2020, Palm Beach County has undergone a significant economic shift, diversifying beyond its traditional strongholds in agriculture, construction, and tourism. While these sectors remain essential, a recent study highlights the emergence of three key industries: Finance, Life Sciences/Healthcare, and Corporate Headquarters. This shift has been driven by intentional efforts...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

INTERFLEXION

DELIVERS AI-POWERED ROLE-PLAY THAT HELPS ASPIRING PROFESSIONALS IMPROVE THEIR CONVERSATION SKILLS

INTERFLEXION WAS FOUNDED TO IMPROVE WORKPLACE COMMUNICATIONS.Interflexion’s co-founders, successful fintech entrepreneur John Muldoon & tech innovator John Hack, had worked together during the dotcom era and bonded over their interest in emerging technologies and organizational performance. In 2019, we were returning from a meeting with a VR expert when we...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

GO ON ASSOCIATED

IS A CONSULTING COMPANY FOCUSED ON PROVIDING BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SOLUTIONS

GO ON ASSOCIATED- IS A CONSULTING COMPANY FOCUSED ON PROVIDINGBUSINESS MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SOLUTIONS WITH EXCELLENCE,THROUGH DEEP BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OFINNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS. Founded in 2015 in Curitiba, Go On Associated is an IT consultancy focused on providing business management solutions through digital transformation. With a track record of...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

AECIC

THE INDUSTRIAL CITY OF CURITIBA

THE INDUSTRIAL CITY OF CURITIBAThe Industrial City of Curitiba (Cidade Industrial de Curitiba – CIC), was founded on July 8, 1973. It is the largest neighborhood in the city of Curitiba in terms of geographic area (43.38km²). Today Cidade Industrial is the most populous neighborhood in Curitiba with approximately 220,000...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

VALLEY BANK

INNOVATION BREEDS CREATIVITY

Valley Bank is committed to fostering a culture where people can collaborate, create, and conceive ideas that provide our customers with an unmatched banking experience. That’s why we don’t define innovation from strictly a technological perspective, but rather as a way to enhance our customers’ experience through thoughtful, creative solutions...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

XANDYE

XANDYE-THE QUINTESSENTIAL

THE QUINTESSENTIAL, MODERN COVER TABLE, CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS AND LIFESTYLE BRAND THAT PRIDES ITSELF IN EXCELLENT QUALITY THAT IS ON PAR WITH ENTRY-LEVEL LUXURY PIECES

According to its founder and current Creative Director, Sandra Tebogo Kenanao, “Xandye is another name for ‘luxury’. We don’t compromise when it comes to quality. We design our products from scratch, taking time on detail and simple – yet elegant – aesthetics. We select the material and hardware to be...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

RAVAS MOBILE WEIGHING

revolutionizing efficiency and accuracy in material handling

Established in the 1970s, RAVAS Mobile Weighing (RAVAS) is a pioneering organization at the forefront of revolutionizing efficiency and accuracy in mobile weighing in material handling. RAVAS started as a small-scale operation in the Netherlands. The company’s founder recognized the need for mobile weighing solutions that could enhance productivity and...

INNOVATE® Nashville

THE TABLE

THE TABLE-TAKES ACTION TO BRING EQUITY AND INCLUSION TO NASHVILLE

TAKES ACTION TO BRING EQUITY AND INCLUSION TO NASHVILLE

A new membership organization started in Nashville is growing rapidly. The Table is resonating with the business community because the goal is bold – to make Nashville the model city for equity and inclusiveness by taking action to create opportunities to grow prosperity for people of color. Started in October...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

PRAIRIESCAN

PRAIRIES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA

BUILDING ON SUCCESSIn 2021, the Government of Canada embarked on a new approach to economic development in the West. To better recognize the unique economic drivers of the Prairies and British Columbia, the department known as Western Economic Diversification (WD) evolved into two departments. On August 6, 2021, Prairies Economic...

INNOVATION Quebec

RQIS

THE BEATING HEART OF QUEBEC’S SOCIAL INNOVATION SYSTEM

The Réseau québécois en innovation sociale (RQIS) is a space for sharing and mobilizing knowledge and experience, helping to make social innovation an essential lever for sustainable development in Quebec. Created in 2005 as part of the Université du Québec network, RQIS first focused on gaining a better understanding of...

INNOVATE® Seattle

READ

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF WORKWITH CONNECTED INTELLIGENCE

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF WORKWITH CONNECTED INTELLIGENCE. Founded in 2021 by David Shim, Robert Williams, and Elliott Waldron, Read AI brings together your meetings, emails, and messages and transforms them into collaborative partners, so that they talk to each other, share information, offer updates, find answers, and organize tasks through...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

SFU’s CHARLES CHANG INSTITUTE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP

INNOVATING ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION

World-Class Spirit & InnovationAs the World’s #1 university for Entrepreneurial Spirit and #1 in Canada for Innovation*, Simon Fraser University is recognized as one of Canada’s most supportive post-secondary ecosystems for innovative research and education across disciplines. The heart of its entrepreneurship education pillar beats in the Charles Chang Institute...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

OPERTO

A WORLD-LEADING PROPERTY AUTOMATION PLATFORM FOR THE SHORT-TERM, MULTIFAMILY AND HOTEL INDUSTRIES

By bringing together innovative software and best-in-class hardware solutions, Operto enables property owners/managers to efficiently run, scale and monetize their business, while eliminating common friction points associated with the guest journey. Operto has built a huge global footprint in the accommodation industry, with customers ranging from single Airbnb operators, up...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

ECOPIA

ECOPIA-CREATING A DIGITAL TWIN OF THE EARTH LEVERAGING AI-BASED MAPPING SYSTEMS TO ENHANCE DECISION-MAKING

CREATING A DIGITAL TWIN OF THE EARTH LEVERAGING AI-BASED MAPPING SYSTEMS TO ENHANCE DECISION-MAKING

Since 2013, Ecopia AI has been on a mission to create a digital twin of the world using artificial intelligence (AI). Originally spun out of a Ph.D project at the University of Waterloo, Ecopia’s maps have grown from detailing a single small city to mapping entire continents while evolving from...

INNOVATE® Detroit

InvestNext

Fostering Growth and Potential

InvestNext is on a mission to transform how investment firms raise and manage real estate investment capital. Founded in 2016 by Michael Gisi, Kevin Heras, and Matthew Attou, this Detroit startup was conceived to revolutionize how the industry operates. What they’ve created democratizes real estate investing and empowers investors to...

INNOVATE® Nashville

VANDERBILT CAREER ADVANCEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT

THIS IS A COMMUNITY OF LEARNING DEDICATED TO THE FULFILLMENT OF HUMAN POTENTIAL

If you woke up with the opportunity to help empower the next generation of change makers, how would you maximize that opportunity? That’s the question we have the privilege of answering every day for our students. In the 150 years since Vanderbilt University’s founding, we’ve grown from a regional university into...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

SITTERCITY

SITTERCITY

As the first and largest digital platform for finding in-home care, Sittercity, a Bright Horizons company, has come a long way since 2001. , We were the first to make online child care an employee benefit and we continue to connect millions of parents with babysitters and nannies every year....

INNOVATION Quebec

PÔLE SUR LA VILLE RÉSILIENTE

(RESILIENT CITY RESEARCH HUB) OF THE UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À MONTRÉAL (UQAM)

Cities are being asked to undergo profound transformations in the coming decades, to adapt to major environmental changes resulting from a development model based on continuous growth and to attenuate the negative externalities of urbanization. It should be possible for cities to participate in the regeneration of ecosystems and the...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

EMERGE BUILDING SOLUTIONS

A FULLY INTEGRATED CONSTRUCTION COMPANY THAT FOCUSES ON THE RESIDENTIAL MULTI-UNIT MARKET

With over 27 years of experience delivering high-quality construction projects. Emerge starts construction by building components of the project in a manufacturing plant for the above-ground portion of a multi-story building at the time of groundbreaking. While the underground foundation and parking structure is being constructed, concrete and steel precast...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Holmes Custom

Creating Personalised Products

Now celebrating its 65th year in business, Jacksonville-based Holmes Custom designs, manufactures, and retails personalized products across 8 web brands. How does a business that was started in the 1950s stand the test of time? There’s only one way: Innovation. What began as a rubber stamp manufacturer in a garage...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

DATA HOLDINGS

KEEPING BUSINESSES’ DATA SECURE AND AVAILABLE

Data Holdings is a premier Tier III+ commercial data center, centrally located in Milwaukee with a LEED gold design. Offering a full suite of solutions and services designed to meet any needs, Data Holdings is a highly secure facility with 24/7 staffing and monitoring. Commissioned in 2013 by Potawatomi Ventures,...

INNOVATION Quebec

QCAM

THE QUEBEC CENTRE FOR ADVANCED MATERIALS (QCAM) IS A FRQNT1 -FUNDED STRATEGIC CLUSTER.

Bringing together more than 100 university or college research groups and several scientific platforms, QCAM aims to provide solutions to major societal challenges through advanced materials2 . To do so, its members study nano, self-assembled and polymer materials and collaborate with industrial partners to address energy, health and sustainable development...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Nxt Level

Is A Recruiting Agency For Some Of The Biggest Names In Gaming And Technology

Nxt Level understands that companies struggle with finding and hiring the right team members to create growth. Our recruiting company views things differently. Our goal is to replace the mountain of resumes with a short list of the right people aligned with your job requirements, culture, and values. The entrepreneurial...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

The UNF Step Lab - A Major Contributor To The STEM Education Ecosystem

The UNF Step Lab - A Major Contributor To The STEM Education Ecosystem

The UNF Step Lab, housed in the UNF College of Education and Human Services, positions UNF to continue to be a major contributor to the STEM Education ecosystem in the Northeast Florida community. It is a place where regional preK-12 students, teachers, university faculty and students, and community/business partners can...

INNOVATE® South Florida

BDB - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BOARD OF PALM BEACH COUNTY

PALM BEACH COUNTY’S ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION: A NEW ERA OF GROWTH AND INNOVATION

Since 2020, Palm Beach County has undergone a significant economic shift, diversifying beyond its traditional strongholds in agriculture, construction, and tourism. While these sectors remain essential, a recent study highlights the emergence of three key industries: Finance, Life Sciences/Healthcare, and Corporate Headquarters. This shift has been driven by intentional efforts...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

INTERFLEXION

DELIVERS AI-POWERED ROLE-PLAY THAT HELPS ASPIRING PROFESSIONALS IMPROVE THEIR CONVERSATION SKILLS

INTERFLEXION WAS FOUNDED TO IMPROVE WORKPLACE COMMUNICATIONS.Interflexion’s co-founders, successful fintech entrepreneur John Muldoon & tech innovator John Hack, had worked together during the dotcom era and bonded over their interest in emerging technologies and organizational performance. In 2019, we were returning from a meeting with a VR expert when we...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

GO ON ASSOCIATED

IS A CONSULTING COMPANY FOCUSED ON PROVIDING BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SOLUTIONS

GO ON ASSOCIATED- IS A CONSULTING COMPANY FOCUSED ON PROVIDINGBUSINESS MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SOLUTIONS WITH EXCELLENCE,THROUGH DEEP BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OFINNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS. Founded in 2015 in Curitiba, Go On Associated is an IT consultancy focused on providing business management solutions through digital transformation. With a track record of...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

AECIC

THE INDUSTRIAL CITY OF CURITIBA

THE INDUSTRIAL CITY OF CURITIBAThe Industrial City of Curitiba (Cidade Industrial de Curitiba – CIC), was founded on July 8, 1973. It is the largest neighborhood in the city of Curitiba in terms of geographic area (43.38km²). Today Cidade Industrial is the most populous neighborhood in Curitiba with approximately 220,000...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

VALLEY BANK

INNOVATION BREEDS CREATIVITY

Valley Bank is committed to fostering a culture where people can collaborate, create, and conceive ideas that provide our customers with an unmatched banking experience. That’s why we don’t define innovation from strictly a technological perspective, but rather as a way to enhance our customers’ experience through thoughtful, creative solutions...

Ecosystems